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Reaching out to Atypical Workers: Organising and representing workers with atypical contracts in the Live Performance and Audiovisual Sectors

Since early 2015, FIA been coordinating work on its European « Atypical Workers » project, in partnership with FIM, UNI-MEI and the IFJ. This project, which is funded by the European Commission, is intended to create a vital space for the project partners to engage with the challenges of atypical workers in our sector

Across the EU’s audiovisual and live performance sectors, “atypical workers” are an increasing reality. Production and project-based working, as well as the wide range and diversity of workers involved in a given project, mean that multiple, short-term contracts and a variety of employment statuses are a common aspect of working in the sector. The concept of “atypical workers” includes workers who are not hired in a conventional way with a labour law contract, but under civil or commercial law, as well as those working on short-term contracts, whether an employment or service-provision contract.

More concretely, the objectives of the project include:

· Gathering and sharing expertise on organising strategies of unions to reach out to atypical workers;

· Developing and expanding collective bargaining on behalf of atypical workers: this will certainly include a specific focus on the problems posed by competition rules in some country;

· Tailoring Services provision to atypical workers;

· Exploring the specific youth and gender dimensions of this issue;

· Fighting against bogus self-employment.

The project is structured around 4 workshops, which will allow issues to be examined in detail and allow an exchange of experience and expertise. These are scheduled over the two years of the project as follows:

2015:

· Workshop 1, May 20th Amsterdam: Access to social rights for atypical workers and providing services to atypical workers

· Workshop 4: Rome, April 7th and 8th: Organising strategies of unions to reach out to atypical workers

The findings in all of these areas will be gathered in a final publication in the project handbook by the project consultant and published at the end of the project to serve as a tool and point of reference in this area. The project will conclude with a final conference which will serve to highlight findings and launch any follow-up activities. This is planned for the 8th and 9th of September 2016. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat.